How long has it been since he last set foot into Annie’s bedroom? His Royal Highness Prince O’Neil Andrew Morisette asked himself as he sized up the bedroom that was sheltered from the Sun by the thick muslin screen.
Early in the morning at six, His Royal Highness Prince abruptly opened his eyes. He suddenly felt that he should go visit Countess Antonia, who had always looked after him and cared for him.
Annie’s bedroom was on the third floor of the official residence’s main building. It was a spacious room and the Countess was sleeping inside. Her maid was a girl born in Damorga and she slept in the servant’s room that was connected to the living room. The girl groggily opened the door for the prince. She was apparently shocked when she saw the youngster outside the door but it was quickly replaced by glee.
Oscar quietly watched the countess who was sleeping soundly. He then caressed those lips that had once taught him how to kiss.
The prince sighed gently. During the countless nights in Damorga, it was the lady on this bed who brought him endless joy. However, when he once again sized up her beautiful complexion, he suddenly developed an illusion as if it were the old days.
The prince stepped back to the side, worried that he might take it a step further.
The long hair was carelessly spread out across the pillow. Annie woke up abruptly from her deep sleep and unlike the usual times, Annie felt as if something was out of place in her familiar bedroom.
Soon enough, the Countess realized that within the shadows at some distance from the bed, was the silhouette of a chubby man. Although Annie knew that that was definitely Oscar, but the shock of having one barge into her bedroom made her tighten her grasp on her silk quilt.
"Sorry." Oscar emerged from the shadows and sat by Annie’s side.
"What’s wrong?" Annie leaned forwards slightly and the belt of her nightdress slid down, displaying the curves of the Countess’ beautiful breasts before the prince.
Oscar did not miss this arousing scene. However, the youngster realized that his heart no longer had the passion it once held.
"Did I startle you?"
"No, it doesn’t matter. What happened Oscar?"
"Oh, it’s nothing. I just suddenly felt like seeing you."
"Only to see me?"
"Yes, Annie."
Antonia stopped speaking; she did not want to get along with Oscar this way. When the youngster led her out of Damorga, she already knew that this day would come.
"Annie, we should talk."
"I do not wish to speak. I want to change my clothes." Annie turned her head away.
Oscar gave a sigh. He knew that he had to explain things clearly to Annie for he did not want Annie’s future to be held up because of him. Yes, that’s right, the future. Annie’s future was not his and he had no right to ask a person to give their whole life to him.
"Annie, listen to me. All that you have done for my family, my mother and I are enough. You have spent your youth in Damorga and you have given me care and love. Do you still think that these are not enough?"
"You don’t need me anymore, do you?" Annie calmed down and thought that perhaps it was time to have a good talk with the child.
"You know that I need you, your love and protection, your gentleness, but I no longer want you to be lonely anymore, to continue to burn away your life for me, for you deserve to have better than this."
"Do you think I will give my love, protection and gentleness to other men?"
"Annie, I do not mean it that way. I’m saying that you could have a family of your own, a husband and children."
"If you want to cast me aside, then just say it! Why do you have to use all these irrelevant things to torture me?" Annie suddenly shouted hysterically.
The room fell into silence and only Annie’s heavy breathing was heard. She was furious and was weeping. Tears trickled down her cheeks and the acidic liquid burned her eyes sore. However, she stubbornly refused to touch these scars of weakness.
"Annie..." Oscar wanted to embrace this lady. She had played multiple roles for Oscar and although Oscar regretted his words very much, but he knew that he had not done anything wrong. As compared to the things Annie gave him, the things he could do for her mounted to zero.
"Annie," Oscar retreated ever so slightly. He feared that he would not be able to help it and took Annie into his embrace, and then whatever happened next would be beyond his control. The youngster did not want all his efforts go to waste.
"Annie, look at me. I cannot marry you, and I will not let you be disgraced by the status of mistress so I hope that you could come to terms with my suggestion. You know, what I just said is the best ending, be it for you, or me."
"No, I don’t care about the ending, for when I stepped into Damorga, I already had the intention to accompany you for the rest of my life, but now...now..."
Oscar was unable to respond. He had depended on Annie, been infatuated with Annie, but when it came to love, the youngster knew that he loved Annie. However, love should be given fairly, something that was actually very subjective, and he could no longer fulfill that.
The youngster knew that in any case, he was extremely fickle with love. Although Annie’s tears made him blame himself until he was almost mad, but he felt that there was no other way other than this.
"Things have changed now, Annie, everything has changed! Both your destiny and mine."
"No, my destiny is to serve you all my life! It has been bound from the moment I took the baby you from the frail princess."
"How could you still not understand that this is not fair to you, Annie. Why won’t you give it a thought? A family, a daughter or a son Annie, don’t you understand? I don’t wish to repeat those things, but you keep forcing me to do so Annie! My destiny is already drifting further and further away from you and it is impossible for me to give you anything."
"Fair? How do you know what is fair for me? The child that I have loved for fifteen years is suddenly leaving me, is that still considered as fair?"
"Annie, I did not say that I wanted you to leave me. I only wanted to end that relationship between us for I do not want to selfishly keep you as mine. From the moment you set foot into my mother’s palace, you have started to live for others; when will you only truly consider about yourself?"
Both of them fell silent. Oscar did not know whether he had managed to convince Annie; he had nothing left to say. Just when he decided to leave, Annie stopped to him.
"Your Royal Highness, are you going out? I will tell my servant to prepare breakfast."
Oscar took a close look at Annie. She had never called him "Royal Highness".
"There’s no need. Thank you for everything you have done for me, my most beloved lady!"
The maid closed the door for the countess and Oscar rested his forehead against the door and stayed like that dazedly for a long time. There was the sound of weeping in the house. Similarly, the youngster felt on the verge of tears but he no tears came.
As soon as the servants who got up early saw His Royal Highness, they put down the tasks they were doing, arranged themselves on both sides of the walkway and bowed to him respectfully. The prince walked along the wide corridor with his head held high. His shadow was stretched long and appeared all the more lonesome.
A thin layer of morning mist covered Dulin, obscuring the prying Sun. Only the Sun’s rays were visible in the sky, transforming into array of colors.
Early morning Dulin was already bustling with activity. The citizens were in the marketplace bickering about the gains and loss of a few Ti coins, the artisans and craftsmen were finishing up their preparations for the items to peddle for the day. The Ministry of Justice had increased the patrolling troops and a few of them were continuously pestering some of the unconventional people from outside the province.
The knights delivered a number of luggage out of the city and Oscar followed the procession and left together. At a relay station outside the city, he met with his main group of Narcissus Knights followers. Although they had been separated for about one month, but the knights still greeted their commander-in-chief warmly, the only difference being that they now addressed him as "Your Royal highness Prince" instead of "Little Young master".
Oscar knew that they calling him "Your Royal Highness Prince" had changed a lot of things.
The youngster led a small group of knights and hurried to Westberg Fort. When the carriage passed through one of the lookout post by the road, the prince purposefully gazed at the manor at the side. That used to be the home of Duke Robinson Brickfield, but now it may well have a new owner for he saw some porters moving baggage from a carriage into the manor.
Westberg fort occupied a vast area. The defenders required the strength of a whole army to be able to fully guard the Imperial household’s landscape garden. Since the fort currently housed a few main members of the Imperial household, thus its defensive facilities were exceedingly strong.
Oscar knew that he had to pass through another lookout post before reaching the fortress, but once he saw His Grand Eminence the pope’s carriage, he clearly knew that he could save on all those complicated procedures.
His Grand Eminence the pope with his white clothes, white hair and white beard was standing beside the carriage. The old man smiled as he watched the little prince approach him.
Oscar knelt down on one knee before the pope. He was performing the Knight’s etiquette. As the "Shield of the God of Light", the younger generation of the Andrew family all used the Knight’s etiquette to greet the members of the church.
The pope helped the youngster up, "haha, young lad, come and accompany this old man for a walk!"
"Of course, no one would refuse an old man such as yourself."
The elderly and the youngster walked along the boulevard. The trail was covered with moss and unknown wild flowers squeezed through the rock crevices in little groups. Occasionally, a few Chinese Parasol trees would be seen mixed within the tall thicket. The silhouettes of the Imperial guard soldiers were faintly discernible within the thick fog. They were carefully maintaining a distance from the two respected men.
The youngster and the pope chatted about insignificant matters like the weather, raindrops, happy moments and such, which made the prince feel somewhat disgusted but he knew that perhaps the pope felt the same way as well. No important person would be willing to spend time to chat with a child; a child who was at that moment, the most respected youth, and yet there was also no important person who would dare give the little lad the cold shoulder.
Oscar knew that the pope would have a letter for his father and he was not disappointed. The old man who was dressed like a mentally ill person, took a letter out from his pocket and looked at the youngster with an extremely sickening gaze.
Once Oscar had kept the letter, he bid farewell to the pope. He did not want to interact with the people of the church. Oscar had met quite a lot of people from the Church of Light back in Damorga and perhaps it was the influence from those big shots but the youngster would not say that those clergies who attempted to straighten out the criminals were hateful but even more so, they did not get on his good side either.
The pope continued on with his morning exercise while the youngster strolled out of the forest by himself. At that moment, the fog had started to clear and the enormous silhouette of Westberg fort was gradually revealed under the multicolored light of the sunrise that filled the whole sky.
If we traced back Westberg fort’s history, we will realize that at the center of the ancient map labeled "Westberg", was a small town. According to legend, 4 centuries ago on the Church’s calendar, a bishop of light witnessed a miracle here and so he gathered the believers in this place and built an ancient Titan-styled church. When Titan Empire was finally established, Westberg had already developed into a land well known near and far for pilgrimage.
The renovation process of Westberg fort could no longer be criticized. Perhaps it was for the purpose of defense, the Emperors of the ancient Titan Empire continuously tried to perfect the west gates. Although Westberg used to be just a few churches, but in the third century on the Church’s calendar, a towering Minerva-styled Titan pillbox already stood tall on this land.
The current Westberg fort was as it were after the last expansion back in the sixth century. It occupied forty-nine hectares. The 35-meters-tall fort walls that surrounded all four sides were chiseled out from hard white rock. The whole fortress was facing west. On both sides of the tall and spacious fortress gates, were two symmetrical watchtowers. The mechanism that controlled the iron gates of the fort was within these two watchtowers.
Since the fortress had undergone multiple renovations and expansions of successive dynasties, most of its outward appearance adopted many known characteristics of various buildings. The greenish white colored fortress had no traces of swords and soldiers, instead, carvings of mountains and flowers covered the west side of the fort walls, one of the famous attractions of Westberg fort and an art masterpiece during the fourth century period on the Church’s calendar. The carvings described the war story of Titan defending against the invasion by the Persians. The strange thing was, after being hampered by the wind and rain for many years, the carvings still managed to maintain its original colors.
The inner part of the fortress had been renovated a countless number of times. Titan Empire’s Emperors who were in control had practically all done some modifications, but the Morisette family, being the Imperial family in power for the longest time in the whole history of Westland, allowed the fortress’ reputation to reach its peak.
Being a member of the Morisette Imperial household, O’Neil Andrew Morisette had the right to enter the fortress without needing permission from the Emperor or the Empress.
One of the Colonels of the capital’s defenders personally greeted His Royal Highness the Prince who was visiting. He invited him to a tall tower on the south side of the fortress.
Oscar had no intentions of returning to the official residence. His baggage was almost packed finish and if he went back, it would be only to pass his time.
His Royal Highness the Prince was just outside Princes Alanis Alfa Morisette’s bedroom. The princess’ female companion was someone who had a nobility title. This young lady’s purpose was almost the same as young Countess Antonia Horman. To put it bluntly, she was only a high-ranking maid of the Imperial household.
The little fatty boringly sized up the princess’ room. The little lady count had just left the room and seemed like she was going to prepare breakfast for the Princess. The prince felt that she could probably bring something for him too. The glutinous little chap was already starving.
The door to the bedroom opened a little crack and Oscar could smell the Princess’ fragrance from the crack. Although that seemed to only be the smell of the air of the room, but if he wanted to think that it was the fragrant body, then there was nothing that we can do.
Oscar hesitated. He did not want himself to barge into the princess’ bedroom like a tramp and he did not want himself to be a fool who let down the princes with her good intention of leaving the door open a crack for him. In the end, the prince finally made up his mind, he felt that he should behave himself and remain on the sofa. Perhaps this was a test from the Princess.
However, the prince quickly started to doubt his resolution because he suddenly thought, perhaps the princess behind the door already could not wait?
When the prince realized that this thinking of his was very dangerous, he found that he had already pulled open the door and the beautiful princess was calmly staring at him.
"Ola! My beloved Royal Highness Princess, Countess Emory said that you haven’t got up yet, so I helped examine your lock; for you know, the world is not a very safe place."
"Thank you, Your Royal Highness Prince. Did I disappoint you? No man had ever opened that door, but of course, aside from you now, that is."
Oscar rubbed his nose in distress; this was his habit of covering up his awkwardness. If possible, he wished that he could sing a song now, which would certainly be able allow him to escape suspicion.
"Come on in, you appeared like a curious little bear just now. I know that you have examined for quite a while, so as thanks, I do not mind if you help examine the other locks in this room."
"Hehhehhehhehheh!" Oscar broke into a shameless smile. He did not open the Princess’ bedroom door widely; instead he flitted in sideways through the crack that he had already opened.
When Alanis saw little Oscar who was like a thief, she could not help but laughed happily although she initially felt a little resentful towards the little fellow. After all, she knew that His Royal Highness, who she was quite fond of, could not resist temptation.
Oscar sized up the Princess’ bedroom for he could not understand girls and thus was rather curious about the young miss’ bedroom. Alanis appeared to be a person who cared about the delights of life. Her bedroom had all kinds of everyday appliances scattered all over the room. Of course, all these little things, be it the quality or workmanship, were all of the fine and luxurious type.
"Hey, now you have become a curious bobcat. This is my turf, so you should listen to me!" Alanis tried to get the prince’s attention.
"Of course I would listen to you, Your Royal Highness Princess. If you have any commands, I do not mind to stand in and play the role of a servant." Oscar moved closer to the Princess, laughing loudly with joy.
Alanis twirled gracefully and allowed the little fatty to move over. The princess’ thin and elegant nightdress lifted in a rippling circle around her, then fell and settled back down onto the detailed, fine curves of her body. The little prince looked on, his mouth dry.
The Princess elegantly sat in front of her dressing table. The huge chests of the table were filled with all sorts of hair accessories and hairpins imbedded with diamonds and precious stones.
Oscar was a mature young man. He had not yet woke from the princess’ trance and was debating whether he should now tear off the nightdress on Princess Alanis.
"Oh! Good gracious!"
Oscar returned back to reality. He recognized the voice of the Princess’ maid.
"Oh my goodness Your Royal Highness! I mean, how did you get in here?" Countess Emory carried a huge breakfast tray and stood beside the door in bewilderment.
Oscar rubbed his nose again. He did not know how to explain himself and the excuse about examining the door lock was proven as an extremely silly explanation.
"Mory, it was I who invited His Royal Highness in. He is my younger cousin." The princess came to the Prince’s rescue.
"Alanis, I have already had a taste of your willfulness, but this is really too much! This is definitely against the rules. I must report this to her Majesty the Queen! Oh for goodness sake, but how would Her Majesty punish me? This is my fault."
Countess Emory handed over the breakfast tray to the little prince and walked over to face the princess all business like.
Alanis wrinkled her eyebrows but then quickly flashed a mischievous expression. "Hey! My young lady, what about this? You don’t report my bringing His Royal Highness Prince into my bedroom to my mother, and I on the other hand will promise to take along that little knight on the journey. What do you say?"
Emory caught hold of the Princess’ neck and asked, "Not reluctantly?" She bored into Alanis’ eyes.
"No! Not reluctant at all!"
"Erm... Then, very well! I’ll let you off this time!" Countess Emory finally could not help but let out a laugh.
Alanis pulled the rather tall countess into her embrace and the two young ladies broke down into hysterics, leaving the culprit of the incident, which was our Royal Highness the Prince, standing there like a real servant and staring blankly at the breakfast on the tray.
By the time the prince came out from Westberg fort, it was already noon. He had declined the Princess’ suggestion to join her for lunch because the youngster felt a need to hurry back to the relay station to have a look. Since the Narcissus knights were proficient in long and arduous journeys, they may be able to give some pretty good suggestions for his journey.
The meeting between the prince and the knights were not official. In fact, they took the opportunity during midday to hold a lunch gathering. The prince had cleared the dining hall in the relay station of all the unnecessary people. However, this small place was incapable of accommodating a squadron of narcissus knights.
Oscar greeted the knights warmly. He personally helped refilled the wine glasses of the knights that did not have any seats.
Just like this, everyone started off the lunch gathering without any awkwardness. The little prince continuously inquired about all sorts of issues while the knights’ replies rather satisfied him. This squadron had magnificent military accomplishments. They had rich experience carrying out specialized missions and in their eyes, protecting His Majesty the Prince in passing through half the Empire was not something difficult.
When the prince was enjoying his meal, the last of the luggage were delivered to the relay station and Oscar was overjoyed. Mother Celia informed him that he could leave early next morning. Of course, to coordinate with Her Royal Highness the Princess’ arrangements, the procession would rest and reorganize at Westberg for a whole day, meaning to say, the actual date they were to set off was the morning of the day after tomorrow.
Oscar knew that the arrangements for the journey was more or less complete. He felt that he really must visit the lair once, as the King of Sins was not someone that the Baron could control. As to how he would make arrangements for this chap who committed crimes as if he were eating rice, the little fatty had a headache just thinking about it.
The prince ingeniously switched his carriage at the relay station. He knew that there were definitely secret agents belonging to the Ministry of Justice or directly under the Imperial household at the relay station, but as long as things are done as hushed as possible, these secret agents would usually turn a blind eye.
The lair was still as it were before. Regarding this settlement place for the poor, Oscar still had clear memories about it. It was here that he knew there was still such thing called "suffering" in the world. Although during his younger days the prince had personally experienced the true meaning of suffering, but all in all those were already very far away from him.
If a person was born in the lair, then in his lifetime, he is bound to never be able to break away from suffering. Suffering was the fate that all people of the lair must endure.
In a flourishing and affluent corner of Dulin, was a place where the defeated, the mournful and those with cruel desires gathered. Here, no one knew what the "Titan Codex" was. Here, people were used to lurking in the shadows beneath the eaves. Here, people were used to robbing strangers when they see them, instead of taking off their hats in cordial greeting.
Oscar’s carriage was advancing slowly in the gloomy alley of the lair. The attendant driving the carriage was on high alert, watching the surrounding low rooftops attentively and the lane that did not have the trace of a single soul. Usually those gangsters who rob in gangs would suddenly spring out from the dark alley and stab you, or they may jump from the rooftops onto the carriage roof and squeeze through the carriage’s windows to take control of the unlucky soul inside.
The carriage stopped at the back alley of the Grim Brothers Club. Oscar was not anxious at all and sat in the carriage calmly. The coachmen knocked on the carriage door, and then a set of eyes appeared at the peeping hole of the iron doors.
The doors were opened in an instant and a group of men had the carriage surrounded closely. Although this was a secluded corner, but deadly dangers constantly awaits in the lair.
Oscar passed through the crowd and made his way into the lair. Someone led him all the way down to the entrance of the basement. Oscar knew that this was a casino but it did not seem to have started operating yet.
The Baron was waiting for Oscar in the basement. He initially intended to welcome him outside but that would be too conspicuous. The Baron was now a key player at the lair. The officials of the Ministry of Justice and the best spies were already carefully monitoring the Baron’s every move.
"My apologies for my impertinence, Your Royal Highness!" Thomas Aulet bowed to the prince respectfully and pulled a chair behind the immense office table.
"There’s no need! You know that it goes without saying that I can’t risk drawing any attention here! And do you know Thomas? In future, everything here will depend fully on you for His Majesty the Emperor had smelled something going on over here and so I need to reduce the number of times I visit the lair."
As soon as Tomas Aulet heard this news, he could not help but feel a little worried. He knew that one of the huge reasons that the little prince could only sit here calmly and safely was due to the Emperor’s wish.
"Then His Majesty did not cause any trouble for you? Apparently this cannot be justified, since we have formed a pact with the Ministry of Justice and if His Majesty does not approve, then I believe our days will be not be that easy."
Oscar took a sip of the drink that the Baron had prepared for him, "No Thomas, do not worry about this first. His Majesty the Emperor would not mind about matters such as these. He is definitely worrying about more significant matters. Moreover, he may even need our help."
This instantly caught Thomas Aulet’s attention. Being able to provide service to the Emperor was naturally a type of honor.
"Ola! Let us discuss about these matters another time shall we? You know that I have to be on my way soon. I only dropped by to see if you had any results recently."
The Barons face immediately fell. Regarding the little prince’s suggestion, he was all for it. However, when it came to the stage of actually carrying out, he realized that the matter had become more troublesome than was previously expected.
"Your Royal Highness, truthfully speaking, the task that you assigned to me, isn’t it a more difficult than the usual?"
The Baron paused and took note of the little prince’s expression. He realized that Oscar was not unhappy because of that.
"Just the illustrative files for the draft itself had already taken up a lengthy time. You know, if all the various specifications were not detailed and clarified, then I believe you would see a lair that is in utter chaos."
Oscar nodded his head. A new system indeed required a lot of time and practice to perfect it from every aspect and just the combination of the lair itself was already a very long process.
"Thomas, what you said is right. I also believe that this is not a matter that can be accomplished quickly. I came this time with the hope of aiding you as much as I can. Think about it, is there anything that you still need help with?"
Thomas gave it a thought. He felt that there were just too many areas that he needed help with, and the main problem he was facing at the moment was the lack of manpower. Although all the hired thugs at the lair were under his control, but those fellows were not suitable for jobs that required brains.
"Your Royal Highness, it is impossible for me to handle such a vast territory alone. You know that those guys under me are not worthy to be trusted. I’m wondering whether you could introduce me to a few talented people in the field?"
Oscar knew that this was indeed a problem. The people that he could use was really too little and he still did not have the power to recruit new staff openly in Dulin. After all, this was the capital of the Empire and the capital’s Ministry of Justice was very functional.
"Regarding this... I fear that you may be disappointed. You could hire some able and efficient people from the other provinces, as long as their backgrounds are not too complicated, I believe that we could still use them."
Thomas knew that there was no other better way as of now. To nurture a group of loyal subordinates was not something that could be achieved in a day or two.
"Very well then, I will send out invites to those proficient people through friends. I believe that as long as our price is acceptable, then there will still be a lot of people willing to work for us."
"Yes, that’s right, no one would be able to resist money. However, be wary about their attempts to get close to us, if it is for benefits then so be it; if it is for any other reasons, I suggest Thomas, that you exercise utmost caution when selecting helpers."
"Do not worry about this, I will see to it."
"So is there anything else that you would like to explain to me?" Oscar stood up, preparing to leave.
"Oh... Yes Your Royal Highness, but is there any urgent matters that you need to settle?"
As soon as Oscar heard that, he sat back down. He did not have any matters to attend to. There was probably no one else in Dulin as idle as him.
"It’s like this Your Royal Highness, we encountered some trouble when I tried to take over Red Light Street. I think we may have neglected one of the big bosses. Initially I thought that the fellow just a subservient to the family, but now it turns out that she was indeed a big boss herself!"
"Hold on Thomas," Oscar’s interest was piqued. "Did you just say ‘she’?"
"That’s right Your Royal Highness, it’s a her! The last big boss in Dulin is Red Light Street is Her Majesty the Queen!"
Red Light Street was famous for its reputation as a red-light district of Dulin. To put it in a nice way, it was a neighborhood where the porn industry was most developed; to put it less pleasantly, this street housed two thirds of the brothels and bars that staged all kinds of pornographic shows.
Every time when the sky darkened, the stores that used all kinds of designs of lamps would light up Red Light Street and it was unclear when the name "Red Light Street" had started being used everywhere.
Red Light Street was peculiar in a sense that females were in charged of everything there. From their big boss all the way down to the lower class of hired thugs, there were all females.
These women revolved around the "Queen", monopolizing the whole neighborhood’s bodily business and illegal income that was covered up under business dealings. Although these women on Red Light Street were getting their business from men, but they absolutely shunned men who meddled in their territory.
When the Baron told of those things, Oscar nodded his head in understanding. He was born in Damorga, so he clearly knew just what kind of suffering men could bring upon women. The big boss of Red Light Street had merely beguiled the prostitutes who were just trying to defend themselves and the little benefit they had.
"It seems like... Her Majesty the Queen does not support us working together." Oscar said enquiringly to the Baron.
"This I am sure. My subordinates have suffered a lot and now they don’t even dare go near Red Light Street."
Oscar was a little astonished! "That can’t be! The warriors under you are not just some cowardly rogues! Are the women of Red Light Street all Paladins?"
"Your Royal Highness! It’s not as what you imagined. If you were to go there to spend, those young ladies would wait upon you like a god; but if you were to go there to dig information or to sabotage, to destroy, then believe me Your Royal Highness, even true Paladins would not be able to walk out alive from that street."
"I still don’t understand the scene you are describing." Oscar was truly feeling at a loss, he did not understand just how much strength a group of women could have.
"In that case Your Royal Highness, let me put it in another way. Over there, a mere seven to eight-year-old little girl would dare stab you a few times as soon as you reveal any hostility. Imagine just how scary these women who stick close together are."
Oscar fell silent. He could almost be certain that what the Baron saw was only the surface appearance of Red Light Street. That queen had definitely already developed Red Light Street into an underworld gang. Otherwise, disorganized and undisciplined women would not have such intense awareness on self-preservation and a vengeful heart.
The youngster laughed coldly and this cause Thomas Aulet the Baron who was beside him, to shudder.
"Baron, you may not have any idea on how to deal with one woman, but when you are dealing with a street of women, that is extremely easy. Firstly, find a few people with strange diseases, and then throw them at Red Light Street. As long as your news spread immediately, I believe that the people of the lair would be very willing to build a barricade to seal off that street. Do not forget that in the eyes of most people, they are nothing more than a group of whores. As long as you make them become whores who are spreading a plague, then they will be done for! When that queen realized that she no longer has any patrons visit her business, then she will take the initiative to look for you and negotiate."
"Then at that moment, do I have the option to see or not to see her?" Thomas helped the Prince to hold up the candle.
Oscar lighted up his cigar and leisurely puffed out rings of smoke. "You are very clever, distinguished baron. If you have time, then you could entertain that queen; if you aren’t free, then let those whores experience hell!"
How long has it been since he last set foot into Annie’s bedroom? His Royal Highness Prince O’Neil Andrew Morisette asked himself as he sized up the bedroom that was sheltered from the Sun by the thick muslin screen.
Early in the morning at six, His Royal Highness Prince abruptly opened his eyes. He suddenly felt that he should go visit Countess Antonia, who had always looked after him and cared for him.
Annie’s bedroom was on the third floor of the official residence’s main building. It was a spacious room and the Countess was sleeping inside. Her maid was a girl born in Damorga and she slept in the servant’s room that was connected to the living room. The girl groggily opened the door for the prince. She was apparently shocked when she saw the youngster outside the door but it was quickly replaced by glee.
Oscar quietly watched the countess who was sleeping soundly. He then caressed those lips that had once taught him how to kiss.
The prince sighed gently. During the countless nights in Damorga, it was the lady on this bed who brought him endless joy. However, when he once again sized up her beautiful complexion, he suddenly developed an illusion as if it were the old days.
The prince stepped back to the side, worried that he might take it a step further.
The long hair was carelessly spread out across the pillow. Annie woke up abruptly from her deep sleep and unlike the usual times, Annie felt as if something was out of place in her familiar bedroom.
Soon enough, the Countess realized that within the shadows at some distance from the bed, was the silhouette of a chubby man. Although Annie knew that that was definitely Oscar, but the shock of having one barge into her bedroom made her tighten her grasp on her silk quilt.
"Sorry." Oscar emerged from the shadows and sat by Annie’s side.
"What’s wrong?" Annie leaned forwards slightly and the belt of her nightdress slid down, displaying the curves of the Countess’ beautiful breasts before the prince.
Oscar did not miss this arousing scene. However, the youngster realized that his heart no longer had the passion it once held.
"Did I startle you?"
"No, it doesn’t matter. What happened Oscar?"
"Oh, it’s nothing. I just suddenly felt like seeing you."
"Only to see me?"
"Yes, Annie."
Antonia stopped speaking; she did not want to get along with Oscar this way. When the youngster led her out of Damorga, she already knew that this day would come.
"Annie, we should talk."
"I do not wish to speak. I want to change my clothes." Annie turned her head away.
Oscar gave a sigh. He knew that he had to explain things clearly to Annie for he did not want Annie’s future to be held up because of him. Yes, that’s right, the future. Annie’s future was not his and he had no right to ask a person to give their whole life to him.
"Annie, listen to me. All that you have done for my family, my mother and I are enough. You have spent your youth in Damorga and you have given me care and love. Do you still think that these are not enough?"
"You don’t need me anymore, do you?" Annie calmed down and thought that perhaps it was time to have a good talk with the child.
"You know that I need you, your love and protection, your gentleness, but I no longer want you to be lonely anymore, to continue to burn away your life for me, for you deserve to have better than this."
"Do you think I will give my love, protection and gentleness to other men?"
"Annie, I do not mean it that way. I’m saying that you could have a family of your own, a husband and children."
"If you want to cast me aside, then just say it! Why do you have to use all these irrelevant things to torture me?" Annie suddenly shouted hysterically.
The room fell into silence and only Annie’s heavy breathing was heard. She was furious and was weeping. Tears trickled down her cheeks and the acidic liquid burned her eyes sore. However, she stubbornly refused to touch these scars of weakness.
"Annie..." Oscar wanted to embrace this lady. She had played multiple roles for Oscar and although Oscar regretted his words very much, but he knew that he had not done anything wrong. As compared to the things Annie gave him, the things he could do for her mounted to zero.
"Annie," Oscar retreated ever so slightly. He feared that he would not be able to help it and took Annie into his embrace, and then whatever happened next would be beyond his control. The youngster did not want all his efforts go to waste.
"Annie, look at me. I cannot marry you, and I will not let you be disgraced by the status of mistress so I hope that you could come to terms with my suggestion. You know, what I just said is the best ending, be it for you, or me."
"No, I don’t care about the ending, for when I stepped into Damorga, I already had the intention to accompany you for the rest of my life, but now...now..."
Oscar was unable to respond. He had depended on Annie, been infatuated with Annie, but when it came to love, the youngster knew that he loved Annie. However, love should be given fairly, something that was actually very subjective, and he could no longer fulfill that.
The youngster knew that in any case, he was extremely fickle with love. Although Annie’s tears made him blame himself until he was almost mad, but he felt that there was no other way other than this.
"Things have changed now, Annie, everything has changed! Both your destiny and mine."
"No, my destiny is to serve you all my life! It has been bound from the moment I took the baby you from the frail princess."
"How could you still not understand that this is not fair to you, Annie. Why won’t you give it a thought? A family, a daughter or a son Annie, don’t you understand? I don’t wish to repeat those things, but you keep forcing me to do so Annie! My destiny is already drifting further and further away from you and it is impossible for me to give you anything."
"Fair? How do you know what is fair for me? The child that I have loved for fifteen years is suddenly leaving me, is that still considered as fair?"
"Annie, I did not say that I wanted you to leave me. I only wanted to end that relationship between us for I do not want to selfishly keep you as mine. From the moment you set foot into my mother’s palace, you have started to live for others; when will you only truly consider about yourself?"
Both of them fell silent. Oscar did not know whether he had managed to convince Annie; he had nothing left to say. Just when he decided to leave, Annie stopped to him.
"Your Royal Highness, are you going out? I will tell my servant to prepare breakfast."
Oscar took a close look at Annie. She had never called him "Royal Highness".
"There’s no need. Thank you for everything you have done for me, my most beloved lady!"
The maid closed the door for the countess and Oscar rested his forehead against the door and stayed like that dazedly for a long time. There was the sound of weeping in the house. Similarly, the youngster felt on the verge of tears but he no tears came.
As soon as the servants who got up early saw His Royal Highness, they put down the tasks they were doing, arranged themselves on both sides of the walkway and bowed to him respectfully. The prince walked along the wide corridor with his head held high. His shadow was stretched long and appeared all the more lonesome.
A thin layer of morning mist covered Dulin, obscuring the prying Sun. Only the Sun’s rays were visible in the sky, transforming into array of colors.
Early morning Dulin was already bustling with activity. The citizens were in the marketplace bickering about the gains and loss of a few Ti coins, the artisans and craftsmen were finishing up their preparations for the items to peddle for the day. The Ministry of Justice had increased the patrolling troops and a few of them were continuously pestering some of the unconventional people from outside the province.
The knights delivered a number of luggage out of the city and Oscar followed the procession and left together. At a relay station outside the city, he met with his main group of Narcissus Knights followers. Although they had been separated for about one month, but the knights still greeted their commander-in-chief warmly, the only difference being that they now addressed him as "Your Royal highness Prince" instead of "Little Young master".
Oscar knew that they calling him "Your Royal Highness Prince" had changed a lot of things.
The youngster led a small group of knights and hurried to Westberg Fort. When the carriage passed through one of the lookout post by the road, the prince purposefully gazed at the manor at the side. That used to be the home of Duke Robinson Brickfield, but now it may well have a new owner for he saw some porters moving baggage from a carriage into the manor.
Westberg fort occupied a vast area. The defenders required the strength of a whole army to be able to fully guard the Imperial household’s landscape garden. Since the fort currently housed a few main members of the Imperial household, thus its defensive facilities were exceedingly strong.
Oscar knew that he had to pass through another lookout post before reaching the fortress, but once he saw His Grand Eminence the pope’s carriage, he clearly knew that he could save on all those complicated procedures.
His Grand Eminence the pope with his white clothes, white hair and white beard was standing beside the carriage. The old man smiled as he watched the little prince approach him.
Oscar knelt down on one knee before the pope. He was performing the Knight’s etiquette. As the "Shield of the God of Light", the younger generation of the Andrew family all used the Knight’s etiquette to greet the members of the church.
The pope helped the youngster up, "haha, young lad, come and accompany this old man for a walk!"
"Of course, no one would refuse an old man such as yourself."
The elderly and the youngster walked along the boulevard. The trail was covered with moss and unknown wild flowers squeezed through the rock crevices in little groups. Occasionally, a few Chinese Parasol trees would be seen mixed within the tall thicket. The silhouettes of the Imperial guard soldiers were faintly discernible within the thick fog. They were carefully maintaining a distance from the two respected men.
The youngster and the pope chatted about insignificant matters like the weather, raindrops, happy moments and such, which made the prince feel somewhat disgusted but he knew that perhaps the pope felt the same way as well. No important person would be willing to spend time to chat with a child; a child who was at that moment, the most respected youth, and yet there was also no important person who would dare give the little lad the cold shoulder.
Oscar knew that the pope would have a letter for his father and he was not disappointed. The old man who was dressed like a mentally ill person, took a letter out from his pocket and looked at the youngster with an extremely sickening gaze.
Once Oscar had kept the letter, he bid farewell to the pope. He did not want to interact with the people of the church. Oscar had met quite a lot of people from the Church of Light back in Damorga and perhaps it was the influence from those big shots but the youngster would not say that those clergies who attempted to straighten out the criminals were hateful but even more so, they did not get on his good side either.
The pope continued on with his morning exercise while the youngster strolled out of the forest by himself. At that moment, the fog had started to clear and the enormous silhouette of Westberg fort was gradually revealed under the multicolored light of the sunrise that filled the whole sky.
If we traced back Westberg fort’s history, we will realize that at the center of the ancient map labeled "Westberg", was a small town. According to legend, 4 centuries ago on the Church’s calendar, a bishop of light witnessed a miracle here and so he gathered the believers in this place and built an ancient Titan-styled church. When Titan Empire was finally established, Westberg had already developed into a land well known near and far for pilgrimage.
The renovation process of Westberg fort could no longer be criticized. Perhaps it was for the purpose of defense, the Emperors of the ancient Titan Empire continuously tried to perfect the west gates. Although Westberg used to be just a few churches, but in the third century on the Church’s calendar, a towering Minerva-styled Titan pillbox already stood tall on this land.
The current Westberg fort was as it were after the last expansion back in the sixth century. It occupied forty-nine hectares. The 35-meters-tall fort walls that surrounded all four sides were chiseled out from hard white rock. The whole fortress was facing west. On both sides of the tall and spacious fortress gates, were two symmetrical watchtowers. The mechanism that controlled the iron gates of the fort was within these two watchtowers.
Since the fortress had undergone multiple renovations and expansions of successive dynasties, most of its outward appearance adopted many known characteristics of various buildings. The greenish white colored fortress had no traces of swords and soldiers, instead, carvings of mountains and flowers covered the west side of the fort walls, one of the famous attractions of Westberg fort and an art masterpiece during the fourth century period on the Church’s calendar. The carvings described the war story of Titan defending against the invasion by the Persians. The strange thing was, after being hampered by the wind and rain for many years, the carvings still managed to maintain its original colors.
The inner part of the fortress had been renovated a countless number of times. Titan Empire’s Emperors who were in control had practically all done some modifications, but the Morisette family, being the Imperial family in power for the longest time in the whole history of Westland, allowed the fortress’ reputation to reach its peak.
Being a member of the Morisette Imperial household, O’Neil Andrew Morisette had the right to enter the fortress without needing permission from the Emperor or the Empress.
One of the Colonels of the capital’s defenders personally greeted His Royal Highness the Prince who was visiting. He invited him to a tall tower on the south side of the fortress.
Oscar had no intentions of returning to the official residence. His baggage was almost packed finish and if he went back, it would be only to pass his time.
His Royal Highness the Prince was just outside Princes Alanis Alfa Morisette’s bedroom. The princess’ female companion was someone who had a nobility title. This young lady’s purpose was almost the same as young Countess Antonia Horman. To put it bluntly, she was only a high-ranking maid of the Imperial household.
The little fatty boringly sized up the princess’ room. The little lady count had just left the room and seemed like she was going to prepare breakfast for the Princess. The prince felt that she could probably bring something for him too. The glutinous little chap was already starving.
The door to the bedroom opened a little crack and Oscar could smell the Princess’ fragrance from the crack. Although that seemed to only be the smell of the air of the room, but if he wanted to think that it was the fragrant body, then there was nothing that we can do.
Oscar hesitated. He did not want himself to barge into the princess’ bedroom like a tramp and he did not want himself to be a fool who let down the princes with her good intention of leaving the door open a crack for him. In the end, the prince finally made up his mind, he felt that he should behave himself and remain on the sofa. Perhaps this was a test from the Princess.
However, the prince quickly started to doubt his resolution because he suddenly thought, perhaps the princess behind the door already could not wait?
When the prince realized that this thinking of his was very dangerous, he found that he had already pulled open the door and the beautiful princess was calmly staring at him.
"Ola! My beloved Royal Highness Princess, Countess Emory said that you haven’t got up yet, so I helped examine your lock; for you know, the world is not a very safe place."
"Thank you, Your Royal Highness Prince. Did I disappoint you? No man had ever opened that door, but of course, aside from you now, that is."
Oscar rubbed his nose in distress; this was his habit of covering up his awkwardness. If possible, he wished that he could sing a song now, which would certainly be able allow him to escape suspicion.
"Come on in, you appeared like a curious little bear just now. I know that you have examined for quite a while, so as thanks, I do not mind if you help examine the other locks in this room."
"Hehhehhehhehheh!" Oscar broke into a shameless smile. He did not open the Princess’ bedroom door widely; instead he flitted in sideways through the crack that he had already opened.
When Alanis saw little Oscar who was like a thief, she could not help but laughed happily although she initially felt a little resentful towards the little fellow. After all, she knew that His Royal Highness, who she was quite fond of, could not resist temptation.
Oscar sized up the Princess’ bedroom for he could not understand girls and thus was rather curious about the young miss’ bedroom. Alanis appeared to be a person who cared about the delights of life. Her bedroom had all kinds of everyday appliances scattered all over the room. Of course, all these little things, be it the quality or workmanship, were all of the fine and luxurious type.
"Hey, now you have become a curious bobcat. This is my turf, so you should listen to me!" Alanis tried to get the prince’s attention.
"Of course I would listen to you, Your Royal Highness Princess. If you have any commands, I do not mind to stand in and play the role of a servant." Oscar moved closer to the Princess, laughing loudly with joy.
Alanis twirled gracefully and allowed the little fatty to move over. The princess’ thin and elegant nightdress lifted in a rippling circle around her, then fell and settled back down onto the detailed, fine curves of her body. The little prince looked on, his mouth dry.
The Princess elegantly sat in front of her dressing table. The huge chests of the table were filled with all sorts of hair accessories and hairpins imbedded with diamonds and precious stones.
Oscar was a mature young man. He had not yet woke from the princess’ trance and was debating whether he should now tear off the nightdress on Princess Alanis.
"Oh! Good gracious!"
Oscar returned back to reality. He recognized the voice of the Princess’ maid.
"Oh my goodness Your Royal Highness! I mean, how did you get in here?" Countess Emory carried a huge breakfast tray and stood beside the door in bewilderment.
Oscar rubbed his nose again. He did not know how to explain himself and the excuse about examining the door lock was proven as an extremely silly explanation.
"Mory, it was I who invited His Royal Highness in. He is my younger cousin." The princess came to the Prince’s rescue.
"Alanis, I have already had a taste of your willfulness, but this is really too much! This is definitely against the rules. I must report this to her Majesty the Queen! Oh for goodness sake, but how would Her Majesty punish me? This is my fault."
Countess Emory handed over the breakfast tray to the little prince and walked over to face the princess all business like.
Alanis wrinkled her eyebrows but then quickly flashed a mischievous expression. "Hey! My young lady, what about this? You don’t report my bringing His Royal Highness Prince into my bedroom to my mother, and I on the other hand will promise to take along that little knight on the journey. What do you say?"
Emory caught hold of the Princess’ neck and asked, "Not reluctantly?" She bored into Alanis’ eyes.
"No! Not reluctant at all!"
"Erm... Then, very well! I’ll let you off this time!" Countess Emory finally could not help but let out a laugh.
Alanis pulled the rather tall countess into her embrace and the two young ladies broke down into hysterics, leaving the culprit of the incident, which was our Royal Highness the Prince, standing there like a real servant and staring blankly at the breakfast on the tray.
By the time the prince came out from Westberg fort, it was already noon. He had declined the Princess’ suggestion to join her for lunch because the youngster felt a need to hurry back to the relay station to have a look. Since the Narcissus knights were proficient in long and arduous journeys, they may be able to give some pretty good suggestions for his journey.
The meeting between the prince and the knights were not official. In fact, they took the opportunity during midday to hold a lunch gathering. The prince had cleared the dining hall in the relay station of all the unnecessary people. However, this small place was incapable of accommodating a squadron of narcissus knights.
Oscar greeted the knights warmly. He personally helped refilled the wine glasses of the knights that did not have any seats.
Just like this, everyone started off the lunch gathering without any awkwardness. The little prince continuously inquired about all sorts of issues while the knights’ replies rather satisfied him. This squadron had magnificent military accomplishments. They had rich experience carrying out specialized missions and in their eyes, protecting His Majesty the Prince in passing through half the Empire was not something difficult.
When the prince was enjoying his meal, the last of the luggage were delivered to the relay station and Oscar was overjoyed. Mother Celia informed him that he could leave early next morning. Of course, to coordinate with Her Royal Highness the Princess’ arrangements, the procession would rest and reorganize at Westberg for a whole day, meaning to say, the actual date they were to set off was the morning of the day after tomorrow.
Oscar knew that the arrangements for the journey was more or less complete. He felt that he really must visit the lair once, as the King of Sins was not someone that the Baron could control. As to how he would make arrangements for this chap who committed crimes as if he were eating rice, the little fatty had a headache just thinking about it.
The prince ingeniously switched his carriage at the relay station. He knew that there were definitely secret agents belonging to the Ministry of Justice or directly under the Imperial household at the relay station, but as long as things are done as hushed as possible, these secret agents would usually turn a blind eye.
The lair was still as it were before. Regarding this settlement place for the poor, Oscar still had clear memories about it. It was here that he knew there was still such thing called "suffering" in the world. Although during his younger days the prince had personally experienced the true meaning of suffering, but all in all those were already very far away from him.
If a person was born in the lair, then in his lifetime, he is bound to never be able to break away from suffering. Suffering was the fate that all people of the lair must endure.
In a flourishing and affluent corner of Dulin, was a place where the defeated, the mournful and those with cruel desires gathered. Here, no one knew what the "Titan Codex" was. Here, people were used to lurking in the shadows beneath the eaves. Here, people were used to robbing strangers when they see them, instead of taking off their hats in cordial greeting.
Oscar’s carriage was advancing slowly in the gloomy alley of the lair. The attendant driving the carriage was on high alert, watching the surrounding low rooftops attentively and the lane that did not have the trace of a single soul. Usually those gangsters who rob in gangs would suddenly spring out from the dark alley and stab you, or they may jump from the rooftops onto the carriage roof and squeeze through the carriage’s windows to take control of the unlucky soul inside.
The carriage stopped at the back alley of the Grim Brothers Club. Oscar was not anxious at all and sat in the carriage calmly. The coachmen knocked on the carriage door, and then a set of eyes appeared at the peeping hole of the iron doors.
The doors were opened in an instant and a group of men had the carriage surrounded closely. Although this was a secluded corner, but deadly dangers constantly awaits in the lair.
Oscar passed through the crowd and made his way into the lair. Someone led him all the way down to the entrance of the basement. Oscar knew that this was a casino but it did not seem to have started operating yet.
The Baron was waiting for Oscar in the basement. He initially intended to welcome him outside but that would be too conspicuous. The Baron was now a key player at the lair. The officials of the Ministry of Justice and the best spies were already carefully monitoring the Baron’s every move.
"My apologies for my impertinence, Your Royal Highness!" Thomas Aulet bowed to the prince respectfully and pulled a chair behind the immense office table.
"There’s no need! You know that it goes without saying that I can’t risk drawing any attention here! And do you know Thomas? In future, everything here will depend fully on you for His Majesty the Emperor had smelled something going on over here and so I need to reduce the number of times I visit the lair."
As soon as Tomas Aulet heard this news, he could not help but feel a little worried. He knew that one of the huge reasons that the little prince could only sit here calmly and safely was due to the Emperor’s wish.
"Then His Majesty did not cause any trouble for you? Apparently this cannot be justified, since we have formed a pact with the Ministry of Justice and if His Majesty does not approve, then I believe our days will be not be that easy."
Oscar took a sip of the drink that the Baron had prepared for him, "No Thomas, do not worry about this first. His Majesty the Emperor would not mind about matters such as these. He is definitely worrying about more significant matters. Moreover, he may even need our help."
This instantly caught Thomas Aulet’s attention. Being able to provide service to the Emperor was naturally a type of honor.
"Ola! Let us discuss about these matters another time shall we? You know that I have to be on my way soon. I only dropped by to see if you had any results recently."
The Barons face immediately fell. Regarding the little prince’s suggestion, he was all for it. However, when it came to the stage of actually carrying out, he realized that the matter had become more troublesome than was previously expected.
"Your Royal Highness, truthfully speaking, the task that you assigned to me, isn’t it a more difficult than the usual?"
The Baron paused and took note of the little prince’s expression. He realized that Oscar was not unhappy because of that.
"Just the illustrative files for the draft itself had already taken up a lengthy time. You know, if all the various specifications were not detailed and clarified, then I believe you would see a lair that is in utter chaos."
Oscar nodded his head. A new system indeed required a lot of time and practice to perfect it from every aspect and just the combination of the lair itself was already a very long process.
"Thomas, what you said is right. I also believe that this is not a matter that can be accomplished quickly. I came this time with the hope of aiding you as much as I can. Think about it, is there anything that you still need help with?"
Thomas gave it a thought. He felt that there were just too many areas that he needed help with, and the main problem he was facing at the moment was the lack of manpower. Although all the hired thugs at the lair were under his control, but those fellows were not suitable for jobs that required brains.
"Your Royal Highness, it is impossible for me to handle such a vast territory alone. You know that those guys under me are not worthy to be trusted. I’m wondering whether you could introduce me to a few talented people in the field?"
Oscar knew that this was indeed a problem. The people that he could use was really too little and he still did not have the power to recruit new staff openly in Dulin. After all, this was the capital of the Empire and the capital’s Ministry of Justice was very functional.
"Regarding this... I fear that you may be disappointed. You could hire some able and efficient people from the other provinces, as long as their backgrounds are not too complicated, I believe that we could still use them."
Thomas knew that there was no other better way as of now. To nurture a group of loyal subordinates was not something that could be achieved in a day or two.
"Very well then, I will send out invites to those proficient people through friends. I believe that as long as our price is acceptable, then there will still be a lot of people willing to work for us."
"Yes, that’s right, no one would be able to resist money. However, be wary about their attempts to get close to us, if it is for benefits then so be it; if it is for any other reasons, I suggest Thomas, that you exercise utmost caution when selecting helpers."
"Do not worry about this, I will see to it."
"So is there anything else that you would like to explain to me?" Oscar stood up, preparing to leave.
"Oh... Yes Your Royal Highness, but is there any urgent matters that you need to settle?"
As soon as Oscar heard that, he sat back down. He did not have any matters to attend to. There was probably no one else in Dulin as idle as him.
"It’s like this Your Royal Highness, we encountered some trouble when I tried to take over Red Light Street. I think we may have neglected one of the big bosses. Initially I thought that the fellow just a subservient to the family, but now it turns out that she was indeed a big boss herself!"
"Hold on Thomas," Oscar’s interest was piqued. "Did you just say ‘she’?"
"That’s right Your Royal Highness, it’s a her! The last big boss in Dulin is Red Light Street is Her Majesty the Queen!"
Red Light Street was famous for its reputation as a red-light district of Dulin. To put it in a nice way, it was a neighborhood where the porn industry was most developed; to put it less pleasantly, this street housed two thirds of the brothels and bars that staged all kinds of pornographic shows.
Every time when the sky darkened, the stores that used all kinds of designs of lamps would light up Red Light Street and it was unclear when the name "Red Light Street" had started being used everywhere.
Red Light Street was peculiar in a sense that females were in charged of everything there. From their big boss all the way down to the lower class of hired thugs, there were all females.
These women revolved around the "Queen", monopolizing the whole neighborhood’s bodily business and illegal income that was covered up under business dealings. Although these women on Red Light Street were getting their business from men, but they absolutely shunned men who meddled in their territory.
When the Baron told of those things, Oscar nodded his head in understanding. He was born in Damorga, so he clearly knew just what kind of suffering men could bring upon women. The big boss of Red Light Street had merely beguiled the prostitutes who were just trying to defend themselves and the little benefit they had.
"It seems like... Her Majesty the Queen does not support us working together." Oscar said enquiringly to the Baron.
"This I am sure. My subordinates have suffered a lot and now they don’t even dare go near Red Light Street."
Oscar was a little astonished! "That can’t be! The warriors under you are not just some cowardly rogues! Are the women of Red Light Street all Paladins?"
"Your Royal Highness! It’s not as what you imagined. If you were to go there to spend, those young ladies would wait upon you like a god; but if you were to go there to dig information or to sabotage, to destroy, then believe me Your Royal Highness, even true Paladins would not be able to walk out alive from that street."
"I still don’t understand the scene you are describing." Oscar was truly feeling at a loss, he did not understand just how much strength a group of women could have.
"In that case Your Royal Highness, let me put it in another way. Over there, a mere seven to eight-year-old little girl would dare stab you a few times as soon as you reveal any hostility. Imagine just how scary these women who stick close together are."
Oscar fell silent. He could almost be certain that what the Baron saw was only the surface appearance of Red Light Street. That queen had definitely already developed Red Light Street into an underworld gang. Otherwise, disorganized and undisciplined women would not have such intense awareness on self-preservation and a vengeful heart.
The youngster laughed coldly and this cause Thomas Aulet the Baron who was beside him, to shudder.
"Baron, you may not have any idea on how to deal with one woman, but when you are dealing with a street of women, that is extremely easy. Firstly, find a few people with strange diseases, and then throw them at Red Light Street. As long as your news spread immediately, I believe that the people of the lair would be very willing to build a barricade to seal off that street. Do not forget that in the eyes of most people, they are nothing more than a group of whores. As long as you make them become whores who are spreading a plague, then they will be done for! When that queen realized that she no longer has any patrons visit her business, then she will take the initiative to look for you and negotiate."
"Then at that moment, do I have the option to see or not to see her?" Thomas helped the Prince to hold up the candle.
Oscar lighted up his cigar and leisurely puffed out rings of smoke. "You are very clever, distinguished baron. If you have time, then you could entertain that queen; if you aren’t free, then let those whores experience hell!"
